Rev. Prof. Dr. Yesu Karunanidhi, a priest of the Archdiocese of Madurai, was designated as a Missionary of Mercy on 10 February 2016 by Holy Father Pope Francis in the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. The Holy Father invites every Missionary of Mercy “to be welcoming to all, witnesses of fatherly tenderness whatever the gravity of the sin involved, attentive in helping penitents to reflect on the wrong they have done, clear in presenting moral principles, willing to walk patiently beside the faithful on their penitential journey, far-sighted in discerning individual cases and generous in dispensing God’s forgiveness (cf. Misericordia et Misera, n. 10).
“Evangelization takes place especially by the proclamation of divine mercy, in a variety of forms and expressions. In a particular way, the specific activity of the Missionaries of Mercy contributes to this end” (Pope Francis, Praedicate Evangelium. On the Roman Curia and Its Service to the Church in the World, Art. 59, § 2).
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi narrates six dimensions of his experience as a Missionary of Mercy: (i) Liturgical / Cultic / Sacramental experience [Divine Mercy Sunday celebrations; Administering sacrament of reconciliation in the parishes, substations, and convents, and at retreats]. (ii) Para-liturgical, pastoral-creative experience [preaching on mercy; praying for people’s needs; door-to-door confessions and distribution of communion; livestreaming of Eucharistic adoration; call-your-God with prayer texts and invocations through social media]. (iii) Community-building experience [A couple who were not in talking terms for 46 years reconciled with each other when Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi talked to them personally on the importance of mercy; Mercy-Works; Corporal works of mercy to the migrants, the elderly, the sick, the children, and the frontline healthcare workers]. (iv) Intellectual / self-growth experience [Translation of Saint Augustine’s Confessions, Story of God’s mercy, in Tamil; Reaching out to all the clergy]. (v) Media and other ministerial experience [Bible study, and other formative programs through YouTube, and podcast]. And (vi) Mission and new evangelization experience [The wounded-healer experience; being an icon of hope and God’s mercy to the people suffering from fear, loss of faith, anxiety, irritability, nervousness, and annoyance; Being present to the people who have near-death experience].
The best practices of Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi as a Missionary of Mercy include: (i) Being a model or icon of God’s mercy at the confessional by removing scrupulosity from the hearts of the penitents. (ii) Engaging a theological reflection with lay faithful that it offers catharsis for our mission and new evangelization. (iii) Initiating corporal works of mercy. (iv) Creating mercy cells in the Dioceses and the Shrines. (v) Visiting the families, hospitals, and homes for the aged and the dying. (vi) Establishing vertical networking with the bishops, and the horizontal networking with our fellow-priests. (vii) Developing resource materials, books, articles, videos, and podcasts on mercy. (viii) Collaborating with other churches and other faiths in recognizing God’s mercy. And (ix) Assisting other missionary works of our Church through Pontifical Mission Societies.
Missionaries of Mercy have the authority, granted by the Holy Father, to pardon these sins reserved to the Holy See: (i) Profaning the Eucharistic species by taking them away or keeping them for a sacrilegious purpose; (ii) Use of physical force against the Roman Pontiff; (iii) Absolution of an accomplice in a sin against the Sixth Commandment of the Decalogue; (iv) A direct violation against the sacramental seal by a confessor; and (v) The recording by means of a technical device of what the priest or the penitent says in a Sacramental Confession (whether real or simulated), or the divulgation of such a recording through social communication.
Yesu Karunanidhi 